Why Europe Hasn't Jumped to Help Katrina's Victims

[quaoar]

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,372348,00.html

By Jody K. Biehl in Berlin

When a tsunami hit South Asia in December, the world mobilized to help and aid poured in. Now that parts of America are underwater, the US is handling the relief work virtually alone. What is going on?

Virtually overnight, fun-loving New Orleans transformed from America's playground into a waterlogged wasteland. Photos of houses and highways underwater and reports of dead bodies floating in swampy debris and frightened refugees huddling for cover have left us mute. Hurricane Katrina turned out to be at least as violent as expected and will likely turn out to be among the biggest hurricanes of all time.

Yet, in Europe, the Web sites of major aid organizations -- including international branches of the Red Cross in Germany, France, England etc. -- don't even mention its existence. Instead, they continue to highlight such worthy causes as hunger in Niger, ongoing aid for victims of December's South Asian tsunami and, in the French case, an airline crash in Venezuela. But the US Gulf Coast is nowhere to be found. It begs the question: Don't the desperate people of Lousiana and Mississippi need the world's help and attention?

Not necessarily, as it turns out. Unlike underdeveloped Third World nations, America has a well-honed and highly organized system of emergency aid distribution. So, when disaster hits, the nation -- and even individual states -- can readily help themselves. "If the American Red Cross asks us for help, we will be there directly," said Margitta Zimmermann, German Red Cross spokesperson. "But so far, there haven't been any calls for our services." And unless the German branch is directly involved in a rescue mission, they don't include disasters on their Web site, she said.

[Maple]

1. Sigh. Everyone has offered to help

as they always do.

The US turns the aid down usually.

But countries still offer.

[Brundle_Fly]

2. We here in Canada want to help

but Homeland security held us at the border...

:wtf:

[NYC]

5. Canada offered help quickly.

I read the offer. Thank you, Canada.

I suppose the U.S. has the resources to handle the situation, but their lack of speed is horrifying.

[pacifictiger]

3. generally the offer of help to poorer nations

is because a government does not have enough resources themselves in disaster situations.
Not surprising therefore that the world's organizations are saying, in essence, "surely the richest and most powerful nation in the world has the resources to help these people, perhaps our limited resources are better spent elsewhere."

[tocqueville]

4. We cannot act without permission

Normally "a signal" is sent that help is needed

48 hours have been already lost

and as the previous poster said, EVERY TIME help has been offered (9/11, earthquakes California, Andrew etc...) it has been TURNED DOWN.

it doesn't help, does it ?

Even if the US has the resources that a poor nation hasn't, permitting friends to help is just a sign of FRIENDSHIP.

accepting help is not a sign of "weakness", refusal is childish arrogance

we still are ready

[WildEyedLiberal]

6. We the citizens appreciate your offer...

... even if the callous leadership does not.

[quaoar]

17. Definitely childish arrogance

But Europeans and others can still help by bypassing our idiotic government -- perhaps making contributions directly to non-profit agencies helping the victims or even by investing in businesses in the stricken area to help bring back jobs.

[melody]

7. The US government doesn't give a damn about the masses

They're not about to surrender their national pride to help we mere mortals.

[Old and In the Way]

8. Pride goeth before the fall......

and fall these bastards have to go.

[FrenchieCat]

9. Maybe these countries knew what was up.....and ain't gonna bail

us out of this one either.....

Bush took New Orleans disaster funds and used them for the Iraq war and for his tax cuts
by John in DC - 8/30/2005 09:57:00 PM

An amazing late-breaking article from Editor & Publisher
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001051313

Bottom line: Experts knew this was coming, and all the preparations ground to a halt because Bush stole New Orleans' disaster preparation money so he could use it for his Iraq debacle:

New Orleans had long known it was highly vulnerable to flooding and a direct hit from a hurricane. In fact, the federal government has been working with state and local officials in the region since the late 1960s on major hurricane and flood relief efforts. When flooding from a massive rainstorm in May 1995 killed six people, Congress authorized the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, or SELA.

...after 2003, the flow of federal dollars toward SELA dropped to a trickle. The Corps never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security -- coming at the same time as federal tax cuts -- was the reason for the strain. At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and 2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the lack of hurricane- and flood-control dollars. http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/08/bush-took-new-orleans-disaster-funds.html

"It appears that the money has been moved in the president’s budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that’s the price we pay. Nobody locally is happy that the levees can’t be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us." -- Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana; New Orleans Times-Picayune, June 8, 2004.
http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/00233...

[melody]

10. Sorry, this isn't about countries anymore, it's about people

I would hope anyone - regardless of politics - would see people suffering and help...if they're allowed to anyway.

[FrenchieCat]

11. Sorry,

In this great big world, when US refuses to fund AIDS to Africa appropriately, Refuses to do anything about what is going on in Darfur, invades countries, bombs it's citizens, takes its oil, sabre rattles at Syria, Iran, and North Korea.....you don't need to tell me "it's about people".

There are people everywhere......

In the end, it appears that others are following in Bush's footsteps where all things are political.

[melody]

12. Then they ought to open their eyes and see

Do they blame the Iranians when they are killed by the Mullah? Do they blame the victims of the tsunami? They have as much control of their governments as Americans do theirs.

I have no patience for bigots. Anyone from another country who hates us for the name of the real estate on which we are born is every bit as much a bigot as the people who attacked our neighbor Suhail the other day. Anyone who would look at pictures of the suffering going on in the south and choose not to help because we're Americans has as cold a heart as someone who would look at the suffering in Africa and not help because they are Africans.

Individual Americans are very generous. Individual Americans are dying...one by one.

[neweurope]

13. Exactly. Help has been offered. Your government doesn't

want to accept it. Put the blame where it belongs.

--------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[melody]

14. I believe that's what I said

I'm not blaming anyone but Bush. Why did you think I was?

[neweurope]

15. Don't really know - language, probably :)

English isn't my language. I'm glad we don't disagree.

------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[melody]

16. definitely don't disagree

I was just saying that someone who didn't help an American because he/she is American is as wrong as someone who wouldn't help an African because he/she is from Africa.

The problem, however, was caused single-handedly by our unelected military junta George Bush.